Batten down the hatches!

Yup, time for another edition of Back Words.

Today, we cover the phrase "Three sheets to the wind."

We all know that this refers to someone who is rather intoxicated, but what the devil does that have to do with sheets? Or wind?

This is a term based in nautical heritage. In the olden days of masted ships with sails, a crewmember was expected to handle his responsibilities of sail control lively. A sailor who was losing control of a sail, which was said to then be "to the wind" or "in the wind", was considered lubberly. If one were to lose control of, say, three sheets, then you were a lumbering buffoon with no motor skills whatsoever, and your intellect would be called into question. Maybe even your parentage.

Therefore, "three sheets to the wind" indicated that you are way out of control, stumbling, and not at all in full possession of your faculties.

Lesson for the day!

That's right kiddies, it's time for a little part of the blog we'll call Back Words. In these little segments, we'll provide the back story behind words and phrases that you may use every day. This is called Etymology, or the study of the origins of words, not to be confused with Entomology - which is the study of insects. Just a fun little diversion for you all, and hopefully informative too!

Ever heard the following phrase? "Balls to the wall."
I bet I know what you are thinking. Relocate your mind from the gutter. Actually, this dates back to old fighter plane pilots. Back then, the control sticks for the plane all had balls on the very top of them. In the heat of battle, when things were at their most hectic, the pilot would have all the sticks pushed forward to the firewall of the plane(think dashboard). The balls were all against the wall, and the plane was at full throttle zipping and diving etc. This gave birth to the phrase "balls to the wall", or running wide open.

So now you know what it means, where it came from, and how to use it. Enjoy!